Whole Wheat Seeded Loaves
01
The recipe makes two smaller pointed or round loaves. We killed the first loaf for dinner (and uh, pre-dinner snacking) and then my husband went out after the kids went to bed, leaving me all alone with loaf number two. :-\ FOR THE RECORD, I didn’t eat it (all) and the next day I wrapped it in foil and reheated it in the oven for a bit and it was every bit as good as day #1,
Now, this is not 100% whole wheat. I will be the first to tell you that I often get annoyed at the moniker “whole wheat” when only about 60% of the flour used is whole wheat. But, the nice thing about that is that you don’t have to do a lot of prep as far as a starter and fermentation and all that jazz (there is a lot of rise time, but not overnight). You do soak the seeds overnight, just to make them softer, so there is a little prep the night before, but it takes all of 30 seconds. The baking stage is a little strange and involves quickly throwing some water into a hot oven, which is always fun.
I loved this bread. Loved it. I was so happy it turned out, especially after a couple brad-flops as of late. It’s delicious on its own, slathered with butter, or dipped into soup or stew (which is how we ate most of it). Now that I have like 46 lbs. of flax seeds, because our grocery store only sells them in gigantic containers, I can make this bread a million times over. And that’s fine by my family and me.
Whole Wheat Seeded Loaves
As seen on The New York Times, adapted from The Art of French Pastry
25 grams (about 2 Tbsp. + 1 tsp.) sunflower seeds
25 grams (about 2.5 Tbsp.) sesame seeds
25 grams (about 2.5 Tbsp.) flax seeds
25 grams (about 1/4 cup) rolled oats
25 grams (about 2 Tbsp.) shelled pumpkin seeds/pepitas
180 grams (about 3/4 cup) water
170 grams bread flour (about 1-1/3 cup)
170 grams (about 3/4 cups less 2 tsp.) warm water
4 grams (1 tsp.) dried yeast
250 grams (about 2 cups) whole wheat flour
12 grams (about 1.5 tsp.) sea salt
Mix together all the seeds, oats, and 180 grams of water in a bowl. Cover and soak overnight in the refrigerator.
Combine bread flour, 170 grams warm water, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until well-combined. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel and leave it to ferment for about 2 hours, until doubled in volume. Meanwhile, remove the bowl with the seeds from the fridge; drain and bring to room temperature.
Add drained seeds, whole wheat flour, and salt to starter. Start mixing on medium speed; the dough should come together in just a minute. If it doesn’t and you see dry ingredients at the bottom of the bowl, add up to 1/4 cup of water (I had to add about 3 Tbsp.). Mix for 5 minutes on medium and then an additional 5 minutes on medium-high until the dough is elastic (mine took a little less). Cover bowl with plastic wrap or towel and allow to rise in a warm area for 1 hour.
Dust work surface lightly with flour and scrape out the dough. Divide into two equal pieces (weigh them if you want them exact, I’m a rebel and didn’t). Shape each piece into a ball or oblong loaves (for the latter, shape into balls and then cover with a towel for 15 minutes. Press dough into a rectangle 3/4″ thick and take the slide closest to you and bring to the center, pressing down to seal. Do the same with the top flap–basically like you would fold a letter. Press lightly to seal. Flip over so the seam is on the bottom and roll back and forth with both hands to make an oblong loaf with pointy ends.) Place the loaves on a lined baking sheet and cover with a towel and place in a warm spot for 1 hour.
Place a baking stone in the oven, with a rimmed baking sheet on the rack beneath it, and then preheat to 450 (the longer you can leave the stone in the better, but at least 30 minutes). Have 1 cup of water ready.
Using a moistened bread knife, make a 1/2″ deep horizontal cut down the center of each loaf. Transfer the loaves to the stone in the oven (I was able to easily lift them up, but you can use a cornmeal/flour-dusted peel or even the parchment paper if you want). Close the oven door for 30 seconds, and then quickly pour the water into the rimmed baking sheet underneath the stone. Close the door and bake for 5 minutes before removing the rimmed sheet. Continue baking the loaves for about 25-30 minutes, until loaf is dark brown and hollow when you tap the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
I’m going to have to try this, because that Seeduction bread is one of my favorite things!